Educators fear Indiana students and families trying to get a head start on college could lose in a big way — all because of an upcoming rule change.

For years, students have been able to earn free college credit while still in high school, through dual-credit courses. High schools pair with colleges and universities, which back the courses and sign off on them as credit-bearing.

Ivy Tech Community College is the state’s largest provider of dual credit, partnering with more than 400 high schools and career centers. During the last school year, nearly 60,000 high school students earned dual credit from Ivy Tech. The state’s community college system estimates those credit are worth $50 million in college tuition.

Those credits are now at risk, say educators.

In 2015, the Higher Learning Commission, the accrediting body for the state’s colleges and universities, instituted a new rule that requires dual-credit teachers to have a graduate degree. Teachers must have at least a master’s degree in the subject area in which they teach, or an additional 18 credit hours in that subject area if their degree is in another specialty.

The rule was supposed to take effect in 2017, but the state received a waiver to give schools time to adjust. Nearly two years later, the state has done little to address the issue and schools are starting to feel the pressure.

“It’s not a back-burner thing,” said Steve Goeglein, assistant superintendent for Lawrence Township Schools. “It’s sitting there and we all know it’s on the stove.

“It’s not as far away as it seems.”

The waiver gave teachers until September 2022 to meet the new requirements.

Still, Goeglein said, that’s not a lot of time when schools like his will lose the vast majority of his 30-plus dual-credit teachers.

“At last count, less than five would make the cut,” he said.

Goeglein said the district is committed to keeping as many of the 38 dual-credit courses it offers, but that will be hard to do without help.

"To take that away … I don’t know how the parents would respond," he said. "I don't think they’d be happy."

Part of the problem is that the state stripped away incentives for teachers to get advanced degrees years ago.

Sen. Dennis Kruse, R-Auburn, one of state's leaders in education policy, said legislators were shown studies that found teachers with advanced degrees didn’t improve educational outcomes for students. So, they cut salary bumps for teachers with those degrees.

“I think that still holds true," he said, "but now we have (this rule)."

Without a good reason to spend the time and money on a master's degree, many teachers stopped getting them. Many left in the field that do have them are getting closer to retirement, exacerbating the problem, Kruse said.

Now, there still isn’t a real incentive for teachers to spend the time and money on a master’s degree. Kruse said he’s looking at drafting legislation in the upcoming session that would help dual-credit teachers with the cost of getting the necessary credentials.

"I hope we get something done," he said.

The Indiana Department of Education also is looking at ways to help schools.

The department issued a Request for Information this summer to the state’s higher education institutions to gauge how the state may be able to help teachers gain the credentials they need and who might partner with the department in that effort.

The department is looking for a partner to provide a “high-quality online program specifically designed for high school teachers in need of meeting the new HLC faculty requirements for teaching dual credit courses before Sept. 1, 2022.”

Adam Baker, spokesman for the state education department, said the department is looking for ways to maximize limited resources. No dollar amount has been committed to helping teachers receive their credentials, yet, but the department has said it would put some money toward the effort. That would most likely come from federal Title II dollars, a grant program for teacher and principal professional development.

There’s a chance, though, that the federal government won’t fully fund Title II, leaving a big question about how much support the state education department can actually provide.

Steve Baker, principal at Bluffton High School in Wells County, said he isn’t waiting around for the department or lawmakers. He has 12 dual-credit teachers, three of whom wouldn’t meet the new requirements.

"I'm fighting like crazy to save what we have," Baker said.

His school district, Bluffton-Harrison, provides incentives for teachers to get their master's degree — an extra $3,500 per year. Teachers who teach dual credit classes also get an extra $250 each semester for each dual-credit section they teach.

Still, Bluffton-Harrison may be in better shape than other school districts. Some are estimating that as many as two-thirds of the state's dual-credit teachers won't meet the new requirements.

Sue Ellspermann, president of Ivy Tech, said school has 2,000 dual-credit teachers that don't meet the new requirements.

At a recent meeting of the State Board of Education, Ellspermann called the impending rule change a "tsunami."

Through his position on the executive committee of the Indiana Association of School Principals, Baker said he's heard from principals around the state — nearly all of whom are in the same boat.

At least in part due to encouragement from state leaders, dual-credit courses have gained in popularity over Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate classes, other types of college-level classes that can enable high school students to earn college credit.

In 2015, 55 percent of high school graduates earned dual credit, compared to just 18 percent who earned an AP credit.

If schools aren’t able to retain their dual-credit teachers, they may have to turn back to AP courses, Baker said.

Even so, Baker said it's likely that most schools will lose at least some of their ability to offer students college credit in high school.

"The losers here," Baker said, "are the students and the parents who won’t have the savings going to college."